Malaysia 1999: Previews

[ Arrows | Benetton | BAR | Ferrari | Jordan | McLaren | Minardi | Sauber | Stewart | Prost | Williams | Bridgestone ]


Arrows [start]

Not present at this time


Benetton [start]

Wurz started from 7th position but was slowed down by a problem with the throttle. Fisichella was caught up in an accident at the start and lost 3 laps in the pits whilst his left rear suspension was repaired.

Rocco Benetton
"It is frustrating that we weren't able to bring home any points as the car was going so well this weekend apart from a couple of difficulties with the engine and with set-up on Giancarlo's car. Also all the forecasts were for rain and, as we showed in Nurburgring, we are particularly competitive in the wet, but unfortunately it was a completely dry race."

Alex Wurz
"My start was very good, but the Stewarts had more speed and they pulled away. My first set of tyres took five or six laps to come in and after that they were good. My second set was very good and my third set was a bit inconsistent. Then I developed a throttle problem and I had to take it easy towards the end. So I am happy I saw the finish line after a good weekend on a nice circuit. It's just a pity we were unable to score any points."

Giancarlo Fisichella
"On my first lap I hit Damon Hill and immediately after someone went into to the back of me. Damon had braked first, but it wasn't his fault as the track became too narrow for all of us to pass. I made my way slowly to the pits where the mechanics did a fantastic job by repairing my left rear suspension in a few minutes. I want to thank them again for a great job. Unfortunately as I was three laps behind, the race was already compromised for me. It is a pity as the car was running really well."


British American Racing [start]

Ferrari outduels McLaren at Sepang Circuit, only to be disqualified after the inaugural Malaysian Grand Prix.

In spite of a strong showing in practice and qualifying for today's first Malaysian Grand Prix, neither British American Racing driver could complete the race. Ricardo Zonta was forced out on lap seven by a water leak that would lead to engine failure, while Jacques Villeneuve drove an attacking race, even surviving a high-speed spin on lap 37, until stopped by hydraulic system failure on lap 49 while lying ninth.

The story on the day, over and above the sultry Malaysian heat that plagued all three days at Sepang, was the McLaren-Ferrari war that was won by the Italian team in convincing fashion on the track, only to be lost in post-race scrutineering.

Irishman Eddie Irvine took first place after team-mate Michael Schumacher handed him the lead shortly before race end, and Ferrari finished one-two, moving ahead of McLaren in both the Drivers' and Constructors' world championships. Both men dutifully accepted their accolades and enjoyed apost-race champagne shower on the podium before the Stewards sprayed another kind of cold shower on the Italian racing stable, disqualification of the team for a technical infringement.

Two hours after the race, FIA Technical Delegate Jonathan Bauer issued a statement that said both Ferrari 399s had failed post-race scrutineering of a wing deflector measurement. "In my opinion, neither car complies with Article 3.12.1 of the 1999 Formula One Regulations," the statement read.

The wing deflectors are part of the bodywork that face the ground; the infringement means that the upper parts of the deflector panels did not fit within the reference, or step plane which the FIA uses to measure parts.

Under FIA regulations, Ferrari had 15 minutes after the decision was rendered to post an official protest, which it did. Should the disqualification stand, Mika Hakkinen is awarded first place and automatically wins his second consecutive Drivers' World Championship, with 72 points, 12 better than runner-up Irvine, with only one race remaining. As well, McLaren would successfully defend its Constructors'World Championship, with 120 points on the season, 18 more than Ferrari, and the latter unable to make up the difference with only one race left.

Jacques Villeveuve : Retired Lap 49
My start went really well. I was next to Rubens Barrichello (Stewart) in the first turn but, unfortunately, I braked a bit too early, was blocked on the inside and lost all the positions I had gained. It was a difficult race, but the car was quite fast on old tyres so perhaps we should have gone for a one-stop strategy. Just before my second stop, Alexander Wurz (Benetton) got it wrong in the fast corner but didn't see me coming and sent me off the track. It wasn't his fault, although he apologised after the race. I was lucky to be able to keep going after the spin.

Ricardo Zonta : Retired Lap 7
At the first corner I followed Jacques, and when I saw the first-lap shunt (Damon Hill-Jordan), I went wide to avoid it but lost maybe a couple of positions there. Then I attacked Pedro Diniz Sauber) and went to overtake him but I was a bit too cautious and braked too early not to hit him. Race conditions were hard, the car was oversteering in the fast corners and was very difficult to drive. One corner before I stopped, the engine noise sounded different and then I came to the next corner, locked my rear wheels and spun off. I had a water leak and this caused the engine to fail.

Craig Pollock : Chairman & CEO, British American Racing
"After a generally reliable weekend, it was very disappointing that we encountered problems during the race. We'd hoped that all our efforts would result in a point today, but we still have a double chance in two weeks in Suzuka. The hard work and determination from everybody in the team is intact and we just have to keep up our hopes."


Ferrari [start]

Jean Todt
"It was a wonderful feeling on a day when the team did a fabulous job. Michael drove an exceptional race for the benefit of Ferrari and Eddie, who for his part managed to control the enormous pressure he was under, without making a single mistake. This result is really great for the team after the last few races. We are leading both championships and now we must do all we can to maintain that position. In fact, once again, just as in the past three years, everything hinges on the final race."

Eddie Irvine
"This was just a fantastic result for me and for Ferrari. What can you say about Michael? We knew he was the best Number One and now he is also the best Number Two! He did all the hard work for me. We managed to control the start, but my car was very sharp on the turn in and I was worried I might spin, especially in the quick corners. So I did not push too hard and made sure I made no mistakes. Coulthard put me under pressure as he was quicker than me, but I did not think he could pass me.

We knew Mika was going to stop twice, but I did begin to worry he might only be going for one as he left it very late. The championship is very open and anything can happen in Suzuka. We have the potential to win both titles as the car is good. Having Michael back is a big bonus. I have finished 6th, 5th, 4th, 3rd and 2nd in Suzuka, so now I would like to fill the missing gap in the sequence."

Michael Schumacher
"Today's performance showed how strong the team is and how good the car. Once again, the strategy worked perfectly. David's move caught me a bit by surprise. Maybe I lack experience after missing a few races! We touched and my car was slightly damaged, which caused me to have too much understeer in the second stint. I had no problem in letting Eddie pass as this was the best possible result for both championships. Ever since I joined the team, they have worked for me, so it was only right for me to give something back. Of course, it was my job to drive a bit slower to allow Eddie to build a gap, and I did this in a fair way. Then I pushed hard again to build up my own gap, in case Hakkinen would only stop once."


Jordan [start]

After a one-two finish for Eddie Irvine and Michael Schumacher at the Malaysian Grand Prix Ferrari thought it had the Formula One World Championships for Drivers and Constructors within its sights. With only one race remaining, Irvine lay four points ahead of Hakkinen, with the Italian team four points clear in the Constructors Championship fight. Before the cars left the circuit for the journey to Japan for the final race on 31 October, the Ferrari cars were disqualified due to a tehcnical infringement. Ferrari have appealed and this hearing is due to take place in Paris within the next few days. If the result stands as Mika Hakkinen as the race winner he will become the Formula One World Championship for the second year running. Heinz-Harald Frentzen will also move from sixth to fourth in the final race standings.

Today also brought tremendous satisfaction for the Benson and Hedges Jordan team, Heinz-Harald Frentzen driving brilliantly from 14th place on the grid to take One Championship point for 6th (possibly three points for fourth place) - helping the team clinch 3rd place in the Constructors Championship and ensuring that his quest to take 3rd in the Drivers Championship remains as strong as ever and with the disqualification of Eddie Irvine from the race, maybe now second place could be a new goal to aim for.

Michael Schumacher's return to F1 after his crash in Silverstone proved pivotal in today's result. With the German on a one-stop strategy, and his team mate on two stops, Schumacher was able to protect Irvine from World Champion Mika Hakkinen. Schumacher lead the race off the start but allowed Irvine to pass him in the early stages of the race. Coulthard also passed through to second place, but retired from the race with an apparent technical problem. With Coulthard gone, Irvine opened up a 20 second lead - primarily due to Schumacher's strategy of holding Hakkinen back.

After Irvine made his second pit stop he rejoined in 3rd place behind Schumacher and Hakkinen, but when the McLaren driver had to make his second stop, the race result was decided. Schumacher moved over to let Irvine through and into the lead, the Ferrari duo scoring a superb 1-2. Hakkinen had to battle for third, for after his second stop he found himself behind Johnny Herbert's Stewart. Herbert was one-stopping, but Hakkinen managed to pass him a few laps before the end with a well-judged manoevre into the final corner. The second Stewart of Rubens Barrichello finished 5th in spite of a brake problem, only just managing to stop a hard charging Frentzen from catching him.

Heinz-Harald Frentzen's 6th place brought delight to the Jordan team. Not only did it mean that a point had been salvaged from a weekend when Heinz qualified the T-car down in 14th place, but it demonstrated that the speed of the Jordan-Mugen-Honda 199 remains undiminished. Frentzen's fastest lap in the race was a 1m40.631s - second fastest only to Schumacher - and a full 1.749s faster than his qualifying time. Had he had the use of his race car and produced that lap time during qualifying he would have started 2nd on the grid!

Team mate Damon Hill had a fruitless day, being shunted off the track by Giancarlo Fisichella's errant Benetton at the second corner. Hill's car was attacked from behind, spinning it around and stalling the engine. Fisichella recovered after a long pit stop to finish 11th, while the second Benetton driven by Alex Wurz was 8th. Jean Alesi gave local race sponsor Petronas something to celebrate when he finished 7th in his Sauber, team mate Pedro Diniz going off the track after 44 laps. Marc Gene, fresh from scoring Minardi its first Championship point in four years at the Nurburgring, finished 9th with team mate Luca Badoer retiring. Alex Zanardi was 10th for Williams after a difficult race which saw the Italian off the track on at least one occasion, while team mate Ralf Schumacher spun harmlessly into the gravel after completing only 7 laps. Neither Prost finished the race, Jarno Trulli stopping on the grid formation lap and Olivier Panis retiring with smoke pouring from under the engine cover. Arrows and BAR also had luckless days, neither team getting a car to the finish.


McLaren [start]

Mika Hakkinen
That was a tough race. I spent most of it behind Michael Schumacher and whilst I thought I could challenge him for the place I was unable to get past him. Part of the reason for this was that I had to drive very cautiously as I didn't want to get caught out by his inconsistent driving patterns.

He was lifting in high speed corners and fluctuating his speed so I had to be careful that I did not run into him. But it is not over yet, there is still Japan and I have every confidence that we will be strong there.

Ron Dennis
David was doing a great job, when he suffered a loss of fuel pressure, the cause of which we are still investigating. Of course it is difficult to be competitive when your opposition is running the kind of strategy that hampers your own performance. However, Eddie Irvine is only four points ahead of Mika and much like last year, everything will be decided in the final race of the season.


Minardi [start]

Marc Gene
"I did a very good start passing Zanardi after the first three corners. Afterwards, I managed to follow the rhythm of Frentzen and of the other cars. Fifteen laps before the stop my tyres were completely scrubbed and I was losing one second per lap. I pushed hard but I was not able to close the gap. Then, after the stop my lap times gradually improved on new tyres. In the end I pushed really hard. Now I feel a little bit tired: it was a fine race and also very demanding but I enjoyed it a lot."

Luca Badoer
"Unfortunately I was hit by another car in the first incident at the second corner and I think I lost the right set-up. Then again, I was hit by Diniz who was overtaking me and I realized that the situation was compromised. I tried to continue but I ran straight in the grass and the engine temperature rose too much, thus forcing me to retire."

Gian Carlo Minardi
"This has been a wonderful race. On the second set of tyres, Marc set his best lap times which resulted even a bit more than 1 second better compared to his qualifying. This means that the boy is ready to become a top driver."


Sauber [start]

Jean Alesi
"In retrospect it might have been better to have adopted a different strategy during practice on Friday, when we ran with little fuel on board. If we had done more running with a higher fuel load we might have been able to tune the car a little bit better for the race."

Pedro Diniz
"I made a great start and this time I avoided the carnage in the first corner. I was right behind Jean in 11th place, but unfortunately I spun in the last corner. After that I fought my way back from 18th place and the car felt pretty good. Then after a while it developed a little bit of a brake problem. The second time I spun, Frentzen had just passed me and as I was trying to repass him he came across the front of my car and I lost it as I had to brake hard.

I'd rather not talk too much about the final adventure. I was tying to get a drink and lost concentration momentarily. Next thing, I was off and stuck in the gravel."

Peter Sauber
"Please don't ask me why we are always quicker in the race than in qualifying !"


Stewart [start]

Johnny Herbert finished fourth in today's Malaysian Grand Prix. Team mate Rubens Barrichello claimed fifth place.

Today's result moves the Stewart-Ford team to fourth place in the Constructors Championship - three points ahead of Williams.

Johnny started the race from fifth position and adopted a one stop strategy. Rubens started sixth and was on two stops.

Johnny Herbert
More points, but not quite the podium?
"I'm a little disappointed not to have hung on to third place but it was a good result for the team. I was trying hard to hold off Hakkinen but I guess the new tyres he took on at his 'splash and dash' stop gave him the edge. It was a very solid effort. It was a tough race, hard on tyres and hard physically. I made only one mistake all weekend and that was running wide and allowing Hakkinen to pass."

Rubens Barrichello
How demanding was the race?
"I had to push hard all the time because of the two-stop strategy. It also meant that the tyres took quite a lot of punishment. I had a brake pedal problem after my second stop so I backed off a little but I also had to be mindful that Frentzen was closing so I had to push again towards the end. It was hard work out there - I'm absolutely exhausted."

Jackie Stewart : Stewart-Ford Chairman end Chief Executive Officer
"This result is down to the collective efforts of the whole Stewart-Ford team. The fact that we can come to a brand new circuit like Sepang, without any previous circuit simulation data, and remain on the pace all weekend is made possible by the technical expertise of partners such as Hewlett Packard. The preparatory set-up information they were able to provide has been invaluable."

Paul Stewart : Stewart-Ford Chief Operating Officer
"A well-earned fourth and fifth place which is fantastic. Both Johnny and Rubens drove brilliant races today. Our mission was to come here and overtake Williams and move to fourth place in the Championship which feels great. But there's still one race to go and we'll be working hard to keep hold of that position in Japan."

Tyrone Johnson : Technical Manager Ford Racing Research and Vehicle Technology
"A good all-round performance from everybody in the Stewart-Ford team. We have been quick throughout the weekend and the fact that we are now fourth in the Constructors Championship is a well deserved reward for everybody. Once again we experienced no engine problems and the team is in good shape to finish the season in style in Japan in two weeks' time."


Prost [start]

Olivier Panis : Retired after 5 laps
"In the formation lap before the race, I felt pretty good in my car and everything was fine. At the start of the race I had to be careful to avoid the accident of Damon Hill. Just after a few laps I felt something unusual which was verified very quickly : I had an engine failure - broken. It's really a pity to have worked so much and not to be able to recompense the hard work of the team. We have a lot to do to get prepared for the last Grand Prix of the 1999 championship, in Japan on October 31st."

Jarno Trulli : Retired during formation lap
"During the warm up, this morning I had an engine failure after 9 laps. We changed it all for the race and I did an installation lap before going to my place on the starting grid. Until then everything was going well. At the start of the formation lap I felt something strange right away, and I had to stop with a broken engine again. The only thing I have done today is the following analyse : I did both of my installation laps with the tyres I used Friday and Saturday in the free practice sessions, and again I had a very good grip feeling. Nothing to compare with the set of tyres I used yesterday during the qualifying session."

Corrado Provera
"There is no use to look for excuses. We had taken the decision to fit in the evolution 5 of the A18 Peugeot engine, because it has shown to be more powerful than the EV4 which we had used so far and with which we got the opportunity to do a podium at the last European Grand Prix. We did not have the necessary reliability, and we are sorry for the whole team."


Williams [start]

"A report was received from the FIA Technical Delegate which stated that following the race, cars number three and four were checked for bodywork conformity. When checking the bodywork facing the ground, it was noticed that parts ofthe deflector panels do not lie on either reference or step planes inaccordance with article 3.12.1 of the FIA Formula One Technical Regulations.

The Stewards of the Meeting summoned the competitors' representative to seethem immediately. Having heard the explanation of the competitors' representative and the team's Technical Director, and having heard the explanations of the FIA Technical Delegate, and the team's acceptance that the bodywork did not conform, the Stewards decide that neither car complies with Article 3.12.1 of the 1999 FIA Formula One Technical Regulations and the refore exclude both cars from the event.The competitors' representative is reminded of his right to appeal."

Ralf Schumacher
"The car has not been at it's best for the whole weekend and it was very difficult to drive. I struggled with some problems both in the morning warm-up and in the race. I was quite anxious and became even more so when I could not prevent Alesi from passing me easily. So I pushed hard to prevent Villeneuve coming through but the car over-steered, I lost the back end and spun into the gravel."

Alex Zanardi
"I made a very good start but then Frentzen suddenly moved towards me. To avoid his car I had to lift off thethrottle, losing my momentum. I went on and managed to avoid an accidentat the first turn but then somebody ran into my car from behind and I wasn't able to go straight any more. I pitted thinking I had a puncture butit was the rim that was damaged. The car was over-steering and with tenlaps remaining I went off the track and some grass filled the radiatorswhich caused cooling problems. So I had to pit again to clear them."


Bridgestone [start]

In an impressive display of perfect team work, Ferrari drivers Eddie Irvine and Michael Schumacher controlled the Malaysian Grand Prix from start to finish. On a day when the Italian cars outperformed the McLarens, Schumacher took a brief lead before conceding it to Irvine. Schumacher then sustained minor damage to his car when David Coulthard forced his McLaren-Mercedes into 2nd place, but the Scotsman retired after only 12 laps. Gambling on one pit stop, Schumacher conceded the lead to Irvine and was able to continue to an unchallenged 2nd place while championship challenger Mika Hakkinen (McLaren-Mercedes) took on Johnny Herbert's Stewart in a successful bid for 3rd place.

Yoshihiko Ichikawa : Bridgestone Motorsport Technical Manager
"Although there was only a small degree of degradation with our tyres today, the wear rate of the Extra Soft compound was aggravated by the hot conditions. As we saw on the cars of Michael Schumacher and Heinz-Harald Frentzen, the Extra Soft tyre was therefore on the limit of its endurance with only one pit stop. Once David Coulthard's McLaren had retired, it was the slight performance advantage of the Extra Soft tyres which allowed Schumacher and Irvine to control the race for Ferrari."

Ross Brawn : Ferrari Team, Technical Director
"We were not very sure what we had to do today for the race strategy. We were getting some confusing messages from the work we did with the tyres throughout the last two days. It was not absolutely clear to me what we should do. But as the race developed we were able to take advantage on Michael's car of the one-stop option that we had left ourselves. In the position that he found himself, that was the logical choice. Michael had always said that he would come back to work for Ferrari and that is exactly what he did. He has sometimes been misunderstood, especially by the media, so it was a pleasure to see him keep his promise. Everyone at Ferrari knows him as a true gentleman, and this fantastic result proves us right. It has to be said that McLaren did not look too comfortable today: maybe they will be a bit stronger at Suzuka. At least this result will take the championship to Suzuka, which is where Eddie has always wanted it to be settled."

Gary Anderson : Ford Stewart Grand Prix, Technical Director
"Because we expected to be faced with a difficult gamble today, we planned to have one pit stop for Johnny and two for Rubens. The problem with the one stop strategy was that although it was slightly faster, when Johnny stopped we couldn't get all the fuel in because the tank on our car is relatively small. For the last few laps he was saving gear and having to change gear earlier to save fuel. Otherwise we could have beaten Hakkinen. The reason for our recent good results is that we have worked hard to make the team strong enough to start the weekend with the cars in good condition from Friday, to make a competitive weekend. Next week we haven't programme any tests. Everybody except me is having a holiday before Japan, while I go back to work!"

Malaysian Grand Prix Weekend